Marking-machine.



F. A. PUTNAM & P. I. AXFORD..

MARKING MACHINE. APPucATmN FILED 1AN.12. 1918.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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F. A. PUTNAM & P. I. AXFORD.

MARKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION man MN. 12A lala.

Patentd Apr. 2, 1918,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

nvenivs.. y Fred A. F-umum FRED A. PUTNAM AND PERCY I. AXFORID, OFMELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO MARKEN: MACHINE COMPANY, OE BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION F MASSACHUSETTS.

MARKING-MACHIN E.

llatented Apr. 2, 1918..

Application led January 12, 1918. Serial No. 211,526.

. To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, FRED A. PUTNAM and Pitney I. AXFORD, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Melrose, county of Middlesex, Stateof' Massachusetts, have invented an lmprovement in Marking-Machines, ofwhich the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, is a specification, `like characters on the drawingrepresenting like parts. Y

rlhis invention relates to marking machines of the type illustrated inUnited States Patent No. 1,131,865, dated March 16, 1915. The deviceshown in said patent comprises a work Y support or platen on which thework to be marked is supported, a printing head having a plurality ofindependently-adjustable rotary type wheels, each provided on itsperiphery with a plurality of printing characters, means for adjustingthe type wheels independently to bring any printing character thereoninto printing position, and means to move the printing head toward andfrom the work support to perform the printing operation.

The machine illustrated in said patent also includes a type plate havingfixed printing characters thereon, which type plate is supported by theprinting head and is adapt# cd to be held thereon in such position thatwhen the printing head makes its printing movement the printedimpression that is produced will be formed partly from the type wheelsand partly from the type plate. The typewheels are-each provided with aplurality of type-bearing projections on which the type characters areformed, and the type plate is arranged with a central .opening throughwhich the type-bearing projections of the type wheels that are inprinting position are adapted to project. so that the portion of thetype plate having the typecharacters thereon occupies the space betweenadjacent projections. When the type plate is thus in printing positionit interlocks with the projections on the type wheels and prevents themfrom being adjusted. In order to adjust the type wheels the type plateis moved away Vfrom the printing head sufliciently' to carry 1t out ofengagement with said type wheels. Printing machines of this characterare usually constructed so that when they are stopped they will bebrought to rest with the printing head raised, and the machineillustrated in said patent is provided with mechanism so that each timethat the head 1s raised the type plate is moved away from the printinghead and out of interlocking engagement with the type wheels so thatwhenever the machine is brought to rest, the type wheels are free to beadjusted.

In the present invention we have improved the construction illustratedin said patent by providing means which act normally to hold the typeplate in its operative position so long as the machine is running, butwhich becomes operative to remove the type plate from interlockingengagement with the type wheels only when the machine is brought torest. We accomplish this by providing mechanism actuated by thecontrolling means for the machine, which mechanism is operative onlywhen the controlling means is actuated to bring the machine to rest andwhich when operative moves the type plate out of its interlockingengagement with the type wheels.

ln order to give an understanding of our invention, we have illustratedin the drawing a selected embodiment thereof which will now bedescribed, after which the novel features will be pointed out in theappend` ed claims. 4

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a marking machine embodyingour invention and showing the parts in the position they assume when themachine is at rest;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the printing head andtype plate showing theparts in the position they assume when the machine is running;

Fig. 3 is a detail view of the controlling mechanism for the machine;

Fig. 4 is a view of the type plate. j

The machine herein shown comprises a frame or base lhaving an arm 3pivotally mounted thereon at 2, said arm carrying at its end a printinghead 4- which includes a plurality of adjustable type wheels 5. Eachtype wheel is shown as having a plurality of type-bearing projections 6having type or characters 7 formed on their faces. Any suitable meansmay be employed for adjusting the individual type wheels to bring anycharacter into printing position, and

the device herein shown is siinilar to that illustrated in said patentand comprises a setting wheel 8 which is slidably mounted on a shaft 9and which can, be moved longitudinally of the shaft thereby to bebrought into mesh with the projections 6 on any type wheel. After thesetting wheel 8 has been brought intoniesh with any type wheel,

the latter may be turned by rotating the setting wheel by inea-ns of'the hand-,wheel 10. 11 indicates a work support or platen on which thework to be printed or marliecl is placed.

'l11 he arm 3 is vibrated to move the printin-ghead toward and from theplaten 11 by means of a cani 12 carried by a shaft 13, said cam actingagainst a roll 11 carried' by the extension 15 of the arm 3, a spring'16 being' employed to hold the roll or follower 1&1 in contact with thecam. 'lhe shaft 13 has a gear 1( thereon which meshes with and' isdriven by a pinion 18 fast on a driving-I shaft 19. The gear 17 is looseon 'the shaft 13 and is adapted to be clutched thereto by a suitableclutch, that herein shown comprising a clutch member 2()f rigid with thegear 17 and a spring-pressed clutch dog 21 which is carried by an arm 22that is fast to the shaft 13 andis acted upon by a suitable spring 2 3which tends to carry it into clutching engagement with the clutch member20-. The clutch dog' is controlled by a clutch-actuating lever 21pivoted to thefraine at 25 and having a toe portion Q6 which is adaptedto engage the tail 27 of the clutch dog when the lever is in thepesition shown in Fig, 3, thereby holding the clutch dog out oflengagement with the clutch member' 20. When the lever 21 is turned todepress the right-hand end thereof in Fi'o. 3, the clutch dog will beautomatically thrown into clutching engage men-t with the clutch member:20y and the machine, will continue in operation thereby clutching` theshaft 13 to the gear 17 and the machine will continue in operationuntily the lever 21 is restored to theposition shown in Fig; 31 when theend 27 of the clutch; dog will engage the .toe 26 as the shaft 18rotates thereby to disengage the clutch, this oc curringjjust when thearm 3 is in its raised` position. y

The lever 211 may be controlled by, any suitable inea-ns. In theconstruction herein shown the work support or platen 11 is mounted inthe f aine 1 for vertical movement, said platen being' connected by arod 28 toa treadle 29 pivoted at 30 and one en d 31 of the lever 21 iscarried underneath the platen 11 so, that when the platen is in itslowered position the controllinglever,` 24 willv be thrown into itsoperative position thereby to hold` the clutch disengagechwhile when theplaten is raised the leverv will be carried into its inoperativeposition by the spring 32, thuspermitting the clutch to be engaged.Normally and when the machine is at rest, the platen is in its loweredposi tion. To sttlft the machine Vthe operator depresses the front endof' the treadle 30, thus raising the platen or work support and re#leasingthe lever Q1 with the result that the clutchV will beautomatically engaged.V rjlhe machine will continue in operation untilthe treadle iis released and the work support is lowered. y l

rlhe type plate which is associated with thefprinting head iis shown at33 and it may haveV any desired type characters formed thereon. itissustained by arms 3st pivoted to the printing head at 35, said armsbeing acted upon by' a suitable spring 501 wliich tends to hold the typeplate in its operative position shown in Fig. 2, in` which position ythe projections (l of the type wheels that are in printing posi-tionlpro]ect through the open-ing- 341 formed in the type plate so that thecharacters on the type plate are in the same plane as the characters onsaid projec-Y type wheelswhen the mach-ine is at rest, as

shown in Fig. 1, so that thertype wheels are free to be adjusted, butwhich is inoperative to control the inoveinent'of the type plate so longas the machine is running whereby the` type plateV will' be lieldin itsoperative position shown in FigrQ.

The. 'device wev have herein illustrated for this purpose corn-prises aleverL member 36 pivoted tol the printing head' at 37 andliiw-` ing an;arm 38 that is adapt-ed to engage an ex ltension 39 ofthe arin- 31; The'lever vinein-` ber 36 is also provided with another arm Z1() y which is.adaptedtto/ cooperate with an arin -11 fast on a rock-.shaft 12, thelatter having an arn'r 13 fast thereon which efr-- tends forwardly andthe front end ofwhich underlies the worlr support 11. fl`he=arnil11 isacteduponbyaspring? 411 which tends to. draw it rearwardly intoVitsAilnoperative po V sition when the work support 1 '1 is. raised;`The construction andf shape of theaboaementioned parts are such 'thatwhen the WOfk. SUPPOlt 1&1" s= in its lowered position shown in Fig.y1*, the engagement of'ftheworlsupportwithy the arm 13* will throw thearm,

11 into its operative position shown in Fifa 1.` l/Vhen in` thisposition it will be.engagedf` by the arm 10of the-lever 36e-stheiprinting head is raised thereby turning saidlever 361.

and causingthe arm 38thereof'toiact on the projection 39yandturn thearms. 34:I in a direction tol carry the type plateBSl outofi1iteil'ocl'ring` engagement with the type wheels.

When the work support lil isA in its,I elevated position, which is theposition it assumes while the machineV is running, the spring' ad: willhold the arm il in its inoperative position shown in Fig. L), in whichposition it is out of the path in which the end of the arm trave s asthe printing head is raised and lowered during the printing operationsso that the Spring 50 is free to hold the type plate in its operativeposition shown in Fig. 2. The type plate will thus Vbe held in suchposition so long as the machine is running, but as soon as the worksupport 11 is lowered into the position shown in Fig. l thereby to throwthe clutch out of operation the arm 4l will be carried into itsoperative positionin which it will engage the arm 40 of the lever 36 asthe printing head is raised thereby to swing theV type plate out ofoperative position. Hence so long as the machine is running the typeplate will be in its operative position, but as soon as the machinecornes to rest, the type plate will be thrown out of interlockingengagement with the type wheels thereby to permit the latter to beadjusted.

We claim:

l. In a marking machine, the combination with a work support, of aprinting head movable toward and from the work support and having aplurality of adjustable type wheels, a type plate carried by theprinting head and movable relative thereto into and out of interlockingengagement with the type wheels, controlling means by which theactuating mechanism is rendered operative or inoperative, and meansoperated by said controlling means to move the type plate out ofinterlocking engagement with the type wheels when the controllingmechanism is actuated to bring the machine to rest.

2. In a marking machine, the combination with a frame, of a work supportcarried thereby and capable of vertical movement, a printing headmovable toward and from the work support and having a plurality ofadjustable type wheels, a type plate carried by the printing head andmovable thereon into and out of interlocking engagement with the typewheels, actuating mechanism for the printing head, a clutch thereforcontrolled by the vertical movement of the work support, and means alsocontrolled by said work support for moving the type plate out ofinterlocking engagement with the type wheels when the work support is inposition to bring the machine to rest.

3. In a marking machine, the combination with a frame, of avertically-moving printing head mounted thereon and having a pluralityof adjustable type wheels, a type plate pivotally carried on said headand movable into .and out of interlocking engagement with the typewheels, a vertically-movable platen carried by the trame, a leverpivoted to the frame and controlled as to its position by the positionof the laten, and means actuated by Said lever wliJen the platen islowered to cause the type plate to move out of interlocking engagementwith the type wheels when the type head is raised.

ln testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification.

FRED A. PUTNAM. PERCY I. AXFORD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. v

